Open Chat... All Day, Every Day! Express Your Views, Debate, and Challenge the Views of Others!

In order to keep up with the nature of free, spirited debate, I wanted to place the chat feature at the top of the homepage. This ensures people can come here and share their views on anything they wish and not have it be related to any specific discussion. Here, people can share ideas, links, and views "unmoderated" and an their own pace. To me, this makes The Elephant in the Room blog truly a place for debate.

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

You Gotta Love the Mainstream Media

I'm sure you've heard of this by now: the "1% tip left by the rich banker" story.

Gasp! No, your eyes are not deceiving you. That is a $1.33 tip on a $133.54 bill with a note for a "tip" that says, "get a real job."

Why is this so significant? Well, because the mainstream media grabbed on to this almost instantly. Yahoo!, CNN, ABC News, MSNBC, the Huffington Post and on and on had this as a front page headline. It was an obvious attempt by the media to shine a light on a story that would further incite hatred towards those filthy, stinking, slimy rich... you know, the "1%." Just take this blog post by Kim Jacobs Walker from Yahoo!: http://news.yahoo.com/bankers-tip-shows-1-percent-set-own-tax-223600839.html

She writes, "It's this kind of disrespect for hard-working average Americans that paints a villainous picture of the 1 percent."

She even drags Mitt Romney and his Cadillacs into the fray, "It also creates a real problem for wealthy politicians like Mitt Romney who suffer by comparison with clods like the anonymous banker. While Romney hasn't insulted any wait staff that we know of, he has shown a painful lack of perspective on the plight of ordinary Americans. Most of his intended constituents don't have a selection of Cadillacs to drive or homes to visit."

She concludes (gotta love the spelling of Super PAC here), "Stories like this remind voters of who's funding those super packs. Should we trust the wealthy to set their own tax rates or buy the person who will? If so, you can bet some will decide their fair share is somewhere in the vicinity of this banker's tip."

Ugh.

So why am I bringing this up?

It was all a HOAX!

Since this story appeared in the headlines on Monday (yes, there were even videos on the news and some of these mainstream media news sites), it has been removed and/or "updated" on most news sites. Check some out:

Like a starving dog waiting for its treat, media was drooling so heavily at the thought of publishing an article that pits the poor, pitiful server against the demeaning, arrogant, loathsome banker that it didn't even stop to ensure it was real. The media didn't even do its due diligence for the sake of making sure it was reporting based on fact instead of emotion. It rushed this, pitted the 99% against the 1%, and the hateful and vicious comments against the "banker" rolled in. Disgusting.

Webster's dictionary defines propaganda as, "ideas, facts, or allegations spread deliberately to further one's cause or to damage an opposing cause; also: a public action having such an effect."
Make no mistake; this story had no facts from the get-go. But that didn't stop the media, did it? Do you think we will hear any apologizes from Kim Jacobs Walker? I doubt it... but a lesson can be learned here: whenever reading, watching, or listening to something put forth by the mainstream media, be sure to take it with a truckload of salt.

Finally, the best comment I saw once the truth about this piece came out was from a user on Yahoo! (I can't find it any more, and I don't want to take credit for it). He said, "never let facts get in the way of a good story."

The most troubling part is it happens all the time, far more than most people think/may know, and it is all kept on the hush-hush. And despite it, the majority of people on both sides will still treat most everything the media says as if they're all completely factual, unbiased, and set in stone.

Something I saw the other day, even worse than this story, was that Fox News deliberately changed the video footage they aired of a conference.

I don't recall all the details off hand and can't search for the article right this moment, but one of their contributors took a question from the audience, an Iraq veteran, challenging our position on the war and how what he saw first hand conflicted with our objectives/portrayal of the war. The contributor ignored the question, indirectly told the veteran he was a disgrace to our serviceman, and moved on; this was met with booing at the actual event, but Fox instead aired a clip from a year before that showed the audience clapping/applauding that response.

When it was discovered they did this, they simply said ‘oops, we accidently mixed up clips, sorry’ and buried the story.

RKen – good morning and happy Leap Day! ( I don’t even know if that’s a good thing or not lol)

It’s good to know that those on the right and those on the left can come together and discuss issues… and it’s great when a common ground can be reached.

For the most part, I agree with your response here (like 95%). The only slight disagreement to me is that while, yes, it's on both sides, I'd argue that since the pendulum of the press seems to be weighted a little more towards the left, it happens more frequently in pro-liberal, anti-conservative headlines/news media.

But yes, it’s very upsetting, and yes, it happens all the time. And you are 100% right when you say, “And despite it, the majority of people on both sides will still treat most everything the media says as if they're all completely factual, unbiased, and set in stone.” That’s the absolute worst part: people take it and believe it.

But it is definitely true… it happens on both sides. I stand for truth and good reporting no matter who writes it. Just because I’m/this blog is conservative doesn’t mean Fox gets a pass: http://loudmouthelephant.blogspot.com/2011/12/is-this-really-anybodys-business.html

I think I remember the Fox piece you’re taking about (vaguely)… I wish I had time to find it too.

And of course, your last line is 100% correct as well. The best thing we can do: left or right, continue to find the truth…

The Herd

http://the405radio.blogspot.com/ - Great radio show hosted by John Grant (@JohnG405) - The Elephant in the Room has been on this show in segments and as a co-host. Click the link to listen to previous shows